Review by: The Muskox

This is actually my first review of an OB GlenDronach single cask, which is kind of bizarre, seeing how universally well-loved many have been over the years. Oh well, no time like the present! This one is from batch 11 of the single-cask releases, bottled from a PX sherry puncheon in 2014.

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Distillery: GlenDronach.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 55%. Cask strength.

Age: 19 years. Distilled October 18th 1995. Bottled in November 2014.

Cask type: Cask #538, a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon.

Price: N/A, not sure what my friend paid for his bottle.

Color: Dark copper. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet and spice-forward. Rich honey, brown sugar, fragrant wood, maple syrup, caramel, cinnamon-baked apples, cloves, and cocoa powder. Macerated berries, musty dried fruit, concord grapes, cherries, then bananas and orange peel. Some slightly savoury and earthy barley notes. Just a hint of molasses, tobacco, oak and potpourri.

Palate: Thick oily texture. Rich, dusty and malty up front, then an explosion of honey, spices, vanilla, sugar syrups, rum, and fragrant oak. There’s a big tobacco note in the middle, as well as some soy sauce. Some sweet and fragrant coconut in the middle. There’s a good bit of oak, but it stays balanced by sweetness. Lots of brown sugar, amber maple syrup. Some leather, black pepper, and potpourri towards the back.

Finish: Long and sweet. Caramel apples, cinnamon, chocolate, burnt marshmallows, candied citrus peels, and cloves. Some potpourri as well. Some tarter bright fruit here, like strawberries and a bit of grapefruit. Floral black pepper.

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Conclusion: Delicious! I haven’t had a really nice sherry bomb in a while, and this really hit the spot. It walks the line between intense sherry, spicy oak, and dusty malt really well. I’m glad that this wasn’t too sweet, either. There’s more of a wood-sugar sweetness than a candy-sweetness. It’s pretty rum-like, too, with all those spices. Maybe I should have saved it for Christmas?

Final Score: 88.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.